Dynamic lacing system with feedback mechanism

ABSTRACT

An article of footwear comprises an upper defining an interior void, a sole structure attached to the upper, a cable attached to the upper and moveable in a tightening direction to decrease a volume of the interior void of the upper and in a loosening direction to increase a volume of the interior void of the upper, and a locking device operable between a locked state to prevent movement of the cable and an unlocked state to permit movement of the cable, the locking having a housing attached to one of the upper and the sole structure and receiving the cable therethrough. The housing includes a pulley rotatably disposed therein, whereby the pulley is engaged by the cable and configured cooperate with the housing to provide audible or tactile feedback when the pulley is rotated by cable.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional U.S. patent application claims priority under 35U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/727,916, filed Sep. 6, 2018, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to articles of footwear havinga dynamic lacing system for moving footwear between a tightened stateand a loosened state.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Articles of footwear conventionally include an upper and a solestructure. The upper may be formed from any suitable material(s) toreceive, secure and support a foot on the sole structure. A bottomportion of the upper, proximate to a bottom surface of the foot,attaches to the sole structure. Sole structures generally include alayered arrangement extending between an outsole providingabrasion-resistance and traction with a ground surface and a midsoledisposed between the outsole and the upper for providing cushioning forthe foot.

The upper may cooperate with laces, straps, or other fasteners to adjustthe fit of the upper around the foot. For instance, laces may betightened to close the upper around the foot and tied once a desired fitof the upper around the foot is attained. Care is required to ensurethat the upper is not too loose or too tight around the foot each timethe laces are tied. Moreover, the laces may loosen or become untiedduring wear of the footwear. While fasteners such as hook and loopfasteners are easier and quicker to operate than traditional laces,these fasteners have a propensity to wear out over time and require moreattention to attain a desired tension when securing the upper to thefoot.

Known tightening systems typically include a tightening mechanism, suchas rotatable knob, that can be manipulated to apply tension to one ormore cables that interact with the upper for closing the upper aroundthat foot. While these tightening systems can incrementally increase themagnitude of tension of the one or more cables to achieve the desiredfit of the upper around the foot, they require a time-consuming task ofmanipulating the tightening mechanism to properly tension the cables forsecuring the upper around the foot, and when it is desired to remove thefootwear from the foot, the wearer is required to simultaneously depressa release mechanism and pull the upper away from the foot to release thetension of the cables. Thus, known tightening systems lack suitableprovisions for both quickly adjusting the tension of the cables to closethe upper around the foot and quickly release the tension applied to thecables so that the upper can be quickly loosened for removing thefootwear from the foot. Moreover, the tightening mechanism employed bythese known tightening systems is required to be incorporated onto anexterior of the upper so that the tightening mechanism is accessible tothe wearer for adjusting the fit of the upper around the foot, therebydetracting from the general appearance and aesthetics of the footwear.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an article of footwear having alocking device movable between a locked state to restrict movement of acable and an unlocked state to permit movement of the cable inaccordance with principles of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1showing a cable having lateral and medial lace segments operable to movethe upper from a loosened state to a tightened state when the cablemoves in a tightening direction;

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a cable guide according to theprinciples of the present disclosure, taken at section line 2A-2A ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a cable guide according to the principlesof the present disclosure, taken at area 2B of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1showing a sole structure removed from an upper to expose the lockingdevice disposed on a bottom surface of a Strobel;

FIG. 4 is an alternate view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1 showinga loosening grip operable to transition the locking device from thelocked state to the unlocked state substantially aligned with a controlportion operable to move the upper from a loosened state to a tightenedstate;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a pattern of an upper of the article of footwearof FIG. 1 while in a loosened state;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a pattern of an upper of the article of footwearof FIG. 1 while in a tightened state;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a midsole of the article of footwear of FIG.1 showing a cavity and a plurality of passages formed through themidsole for receiving the locking device and routing tensioning cablesthrough the midsole;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a locking device and cable according tothe principles of the instant disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the locking device of FIG. 8 showing ahousing and a locking member of the locking device;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the locking device of FIG. 8 showing a housinghaving a lid removed to expose a locking member slidably disposed withinthe housing when the locking member is in a locked position;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the locking device of FIG. 8 showing a housinghaving a lid removed to expose a locking member slidably disposed withinthe housing when the locking member is in an unlocked position;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the locking device of FIG. 8 takenalong section line 12-12 of FIG. 10, and showing an interface between apulley and a prong of the locking device;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a housing of the locking device of FIG.8, whereby the housing includes a prong for interfacing with the pulleyof the locking device;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another example of a housing of thelocking device of FIG. 8 without the prong of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a pulley of the locking device of FIG.8;

FIG. 16 is a rear perspective view of an article of footwearincorporating the locking device of FIG. 8 at a posterior end of a heelregion of the article of footwear;

FIG. 17 is a rear perspective view of an article of footwearincorporating the locking device of FIG. 8 at a medial side, heel regionof the article of footwear; and

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of an article of footwear incorporating thelocking device of FIG. 8 at vamp region of the article of footwear.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example configurations will now be described more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scopeof the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specificdetails are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices,and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations ofthe present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art that specific details need not be employed, that exampleconfigurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that thespecific details and the example configurations should not be construedto limit the scope of the disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. Asused herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intendedto include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,”and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence offeatures, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The methodsteps, processes, and operations described herein are not to beconstrued as necessarily requiring their performance in the particularorder discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as anorder of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,”“connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer,it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to theother element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyon,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attachedto,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be nointervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe therelationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion(e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directlyadjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describevarious elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. Theseelements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not belimited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish oneelement, component, region, layer or section from another region, layeror section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical termsdo not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by thecontext. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or sectiondiscussed below could be termed a second element, component, region,layer or section without departing from the teachings of the exampleconfigurations.

One aspect of the disclosure provides an article of footwear. Thearticle of footwear includes an upper defining an interior void and acable movable in a tightening direction to move the upper into atightened state and movable in a loosening direction to move the upperinto a loosened state. The article of footwear also includes a cablelock coupled with the article of footwear and including a housing andoperable in a locked state to restrict movement of the cable in theloosening direction and operable in an unlocked state to permit movementof the cable in the loosening direction. The cable lock includes a firstpulley disposed within the housing and positioned to freely rotate inresponse to movement of the cable through the housing and along an outercircumferential portion of the first pulley.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing optional features. In some implementations, the cable includesa control portion operable to be moved away from the upper in a firstdirection to move the cable in the tightening direction. Here, the cablelock may be disposed remotely from the control portion.

In some examples, the first pulley includes a plurality of protrusionsextending from a rotational axis of the first pulley, the protrusionsdefining openings disposed between adjacent protrusions of the pluralityof protrusions. The first pulley may define a groove extending around anouter circumference of the first pulley, the groove operable to receivethe cable therein. Here, the groove may be defined between correspondingprotrusions at each of a first side and an opposing second side of thefirst pulley. Optionally, the article of footwear may also include aprong coupled with the housing and having a first end operable to beintermittently engaged by the plurality of protrusions when the firstpulley rotates. Here, the prong may include a second end attached to thehousing, the first end moving relative to the second end when the firstpulley rotates. The prong may be integrally formed with the housing.Additionally or alternatively, the prong may have a first lengthextending between the second end and the first end, the prong beingflattened along a portion of the first length.

In some configurations, the cable lock includes a second pulley operableto provide at least one of audible feedback and tactile feedback whenthe cable is translated relative to and within the housing in thetightening direction, the second pulley engaging a different portion ofthe cable than the first pulley. Here, a biasing spring may extendbetween the first pulley and the second pulley, a first end of thebiasing spring being coupled with the housing and a second end of thebiasing spring being coupled with a sliding lock member. Additionally oralternatively, the housing may be elongate and may have a longitudinalmidline, the first pulley may be disposed on an opposing side of thelongitudinal midline of the housing relative to the second pulley, andboth of the first pulley and the second pulley may be disposed adjacenta first end of the housing.

In some implementations, the housing has a first planar exterior surfaceand an opposing second planar exterior surface, a maximum thicknessbetween the first planar exterior surface and the second planar exteriorsurface being within the range of 0.6 cm to 1.2 cm. The housing may bebilaterally symmetrical. Optionally, the housing may be shaped as arounded rectangle. When the housing is shaped as a rounded rectangle,the article of footwear may further include an aperture located at eachrespective corner of the housing. Here, a portion of the cable mayextend through each aperture located at each respective corner of thehousing.

In some examples, the housing is rigid. In other examples, the housingincludes one or more apertures located adjacent a peripheral edge of thehousing and configured to receive insertion therethrough of a fastener.In this example, the fastener is one or more selected from the groupconsisting of a thread, a filament, a strap, a rivet, a bolt, a screw, ahook, and a rod.

In some configurations, the cable changes direction as it extends arounda portion of the first pulley and extends through an aperture in thehousing, and wherein the change in direction is greater than 35 degreesand less than 120 degrees. The article of footwear may also include ashaft extending from an inner surface of the housing, the first pulleybeing mounted on and rotatable about the shaft. The cable, when undertension, may extend from the first pulley at a tangent to the outercircumferential portion of the first pulley and through an aperture inthe housing.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides an article of footwear. Thearticle of footwear includes an upper defining an interior void. Thearticle of footwear also includes a cable movable in a tighteningdirection to move the upper into a tightened state and movable in aloosening direction to move the upper into a loosened state. The articleof footwear further includes a cable lock including a housing andoperable in a locked state to restrict movement of the cable in theloosening direction and operable in an unlocked state to permit movementof the cable in the loosening direction. The cable lock includes a firstpulley and a second pulley that receive different portions of the cableand are operable to rotate relative to the housing when the cable istranslated relative to and within the housing.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing optional features. In some examples, the cable includes acontrol portion operable to be moved away from the upper in a firstdirection to move the cable in the tightening direction. Here, the cablelock may be disposed remotely from the control portion. In anotherexample, the first pulley and the second pulley are configured toprovide an incremental feedback corresponding with movement of the cableby a first distance in the tightening direction.

In some implementations, at least one of the first pulley and the secondpulley includes a plurality of protrusions extending from a rotationalaxis of the at least one of the first pulley and the second pulley, theprotrusions defining openings disposed between adjacent protrusions ofthe plurality of protrusions. Here, the at least one of the first pulleyand the second pulley may define a groove extending around an outercircumference of the at least one of the first pulley and the secondpulley, the groove operable to receive the cable therein. Optionally,the article of footwear may include a prong having a first end operableto be intermittently engaged by the plurality of protrusions when thecable is moved in the tightening direction. Here, the prong may includea second end attached to the housing, the first end moving relative tothe second end when the cable is moved in the tightening direction. Theprong may be integrally formed with the housing. In some examples, thefirst pulley and the second pulley are operable to provide at least oneof audible feedback and tactile feedback when the cable is translatedrelative to and within the housing in the tightening direction.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a cable lock for a cable. Thecable lock includes a housing having a first end and a second enddisposed on an opposite end of the housing than the first end. The cablelock also includes a first pulley rotatably supported by the housing anddisposed proximate to one of the first end and the second end. The firstpulley is operable to freely rotate in response to movement of the cablethrough the housing and along an outer circumferential portion of thefirst pulley. The cable lock further includes a second pulley rotatablysupported by the housing and disposed proximate to the one of the firstend and the second end. The second pulley is operable to freely rotatein response to movement of the cable through the housing and along anouter circumferential portion of the second pulley. The cable lock alsoincludes a lock member slidably disposed within the housing and movablebetween a locked state operable to restrict movement of the cable in afirst direction relative to the housing and an unlocked state operableto permit movement of the cable in the first direction relative to thehousing. The lock member is disposed closer to the other of the firstend and the second end of the housing than the first pulley and thesecond pulley.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing features. In some configurations, the first pulley and thesecond pulley each include a plurality of protrusions extending from arotational axis of the first pulley and the second pulley, theprotrusions defining openings disposed between adjacent protrusions ofthe plurality of protrusions. Here, the first pulley may define a firstgroove extending around an outer circumference of the first pulley andthe second pulley may define a second groove extending around an outercircumference of the second pulley, the first groove and the secondgroove operable to receive the cable therein. Optionally, the firstgroove may be defined between corresponding protrusions at each of afirst side and an opposing second side of the first pulley and thesecond groove may be defined between corresponding protrusions at eachof a first side and an opposing second side of the second pulley. Inthis configuration, the cable lock may also include a first prongcoupled with the housing and having a first end operable to beintermittently engaged by the plurality of protrusions when the firstpulley rotates and a second prong coupled with the housing and having afirst end operable to be intermittently engaged by the plurality ofprotrusions when the second pulley rotates. The first prong and thesecond prong each may include a second end attached to the housing, thefirst end elastically deflecting relative to the second end when thefirst pulley and the second pulley rotate. The first prong and thesecond prong may be integrally formed with the housing. Additionally oralternatively, the first prong and the second prong each may have afirst length extending between the second end and the first end, thefirst prong and the second prong being flattened along a portion of thefirst length.

In some examples, either or both of the first pulley and the secondpulley are operable to provide at least one of audible feedback andtactile feedback when rotated in response to the cable being translatedrelative to and within the housing, the second pulley engaging adifferent portion of the cable, or a different cable, than the firstpulley. The cable lock may include a biasing spring that extends betweenthe first pulley and the second pulley, a first end of the biasingspring being coupled with the housing and a second end of the biasingspring being coupled with a lock member.

In some implementations, the housing is elongate and has a longitudinalmidline and the first pulley is disposed on an opposing side of thelongitudinal midline of the housing relative to the second pulley.Optionally, the housing may have a first planar exterior surface and anopposing second planar exterior surface, a maximum thickness between thefirst planar exterior surface and the second planar exterior surfacebeing within the range of 0.6 cm to 1.2 cm. Additionally oralternatively, the housing may be bilaterally symmetrical.

In some configurations, the housing is shaped as a rounded rectangle.Here, the cable lock may also include an aperture located at eachrespective corner of the housing. A portion of the cable may extendthrough each aperture located at each respective corner of the housing.Additionally or alternatively, the housing may be rigid. In otherconfigurations, the housing includes one or more apertures locatedadjacent a peripheral edge of the housing and configured to receiveinsertion therethrough of a fastener. Here, the fastener may be one ormore selected from the group consisting of a thread, a filament, astrap, a rivet, a bolt, a screw, a hook, and a rod.

In some examples, the cable changes direction as it extends around aportion of the first pulley and extends through a first aperture in thehousing, and changes direction as it extends around a portion of thesecond pulley and extends through a second aperture in the housing, andwherein the change in direction is greater than 35 degrees and less than120 degrees. The cable lock may include a first shaft extending from aninner surface of the housing and a second shaft extending from the innersurface of the housing, the first pulley being mounted on and rotatableabout the first shaft and the second pulley being mounted on androtatable about the second shaft.

In some implementations, the cable, when under tension, extends from thefirst pulley at a tangent to the outer circumferential portion of thefirst pulley and through a first aperture in the housing, and extendsfrom the second pulley at a tangent to the outer circumferential portionof the second pulley and through a second aperture in the housing. Inother implementations, the lock member includes a first lock surface anda second lock surface that converge toward one another, the first locksurface operable to pinch a first portion of the cable between a firstengagement surface of the housing and the first lock surface in thelocked state, and the second lock surface operable to pinch a secondportion of the cable between a second engagement surface of the housingand the second lock surface, in the locked state to restrict movement ofthe cable in the first direction relative to the housing.

The details of one or more implementations of the disclosure are setforth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otheraspects, features, and advantages will be apparent from the descriptionand drawings, and from the claims.

Referring to FIGS. 1-18, in some implementations, an article of footwear10 includes an upper 100 and a sole structure 200 attached to the upper100. The article of footwear 10 further includes a locking device orcable lock 300 and a fastening system 400 integrated into at least oneof the upper 100 and the sole structure 200. The fastening system 400includes a cable 402 that cooperates with the locking device 300 to movethe article of footwear 10 between a tightened state and a loosenedstate, as detailed below.

As described in greater detail below, the cable 402 is movable in atightening direction D_(T) to move the article of footwear 10 into thetightened state and movable in the loosening direction D_(L) to move thearticle of footwear 10 into the loosened state. In some implementations,the upper 100 and the sole structure 200 cooperate to provide passagesand guides for routing portions of the cable 402 through the lockingdevice 300. The locking device 300 is configured to selectively securethe cable 402 in the tightened state.

The article of footwear 10 may be divided into one or more regions. Theregions may include a forefoot region 12, a midfoot region 14 and a heelregion 16. The forefoot region 12 may correspond with toes and jointsconnecting metatarsal bones with phalanx bones of a foot. The midfootregion 14 may correspond with an arch area of the foot, and the heelregion 16 may correspond with rear regions of the foot, including acalcaneus bone. The footwear 10 may include lateral and medial sides 18,20, respectively, corresponding with opposite sides of the footwear 10and extending through the regions 12, 14, 16.

The upper 100 includes interior surfaces that define an interior void102 configured to receive and secure a foot for support on the solestructure 200. An ankle opening 104 in the heel region 16 may provideaccess to the interior void 102. For example, the ankle opening 104 mayreceive a foot to secure the foot within the void 102 and facilitateentry and removal of the foot to and from the interior void 102. Theupper 100 may include a tongue portion 106 that extends between thelateral side 18 and the medial side 20 and covers the interior void 102.

The upper 100 may be formed from one or more materials that are stitchedor adhesively bonded together to form the interior void 102. Suitablematerials of the upper may include, but are not limited to, textiles,foam, leather, and synthetic leather. The example upper 100 may beformed from a combination of one or more substantially inelastic ornon-stretchable materials and one or more substantially elastic orstretchable materials disposed in different regions of the upper 100 tofacilitate movement of the upper 100 between the tightened state and theloosened state.

The one or more elastic materials may include any combination of one ormore elastic fabrics such as, without limitation, spandex, elastane,rubber or neoprene. The one or more inelastic materials may include anycombination of one or more of thermoplastic polyurethanes, nylon,leather, vinyl, or another material/fabric that does not impartproperties of elasticity. For example, one or both of the lateral side18 and the medial side 20 of the upper 100 may include an elastic region110 formed from the one or more elastic materials and an inelasticregion 112 formed from the one or more inelastic materials. In theexamples shown, the inelastic region 112 surrounds the elastic region110. For instance, the inelastic region 112 may include an upperinelastic region 112 a and a lower inelastic region 112 b that boundupper and lower edges of the elastic region 110 extending from theforefoot region 12 to the midfoot region 14 at one or both of thelateral side 18 and the medial side.

In some configurations, an instep region 114 may be formed from the oneor more elastic materials, and extends along the upper 100 from thetongue 106 through the forefoot region 12 between the respective upperinelastic regions 112 a of the lateral side 18 and the medial side 20,as shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, the elastic instep region 114 separatesthe lateral and medial sides 18 and 20 of the upper 100. In otherconfigurations, the elastic instep region 114 is omitted and theinelastic lateral and medial upper inelastic regions 112 a cooperate tocover the instep of the foot within the interior void 102. In someconfigurations, the entire upper 100 is formed from the one or moreelastic materials and the one or more inelastic materials are attached(e.g., bonded or fastened) to the elastic material at predeterminedlocations to define localized inelastic regions.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the footwear 10 showing the upper 100 includinga throat closure 116 corresponding to the instep region 114 andextending between the elastic regions 110 of the lateral side 18 and themedial side 20. In some examples, the throat closure 116 of the upper100 integrally forms the tongue portion 106 from the one or moreinelastic materials. Thus, the throat closure 116 may define a portionof the interior void 102 and enclose a foot therein when the upper 100is in either one of the tightened state or the loosened state.

In some implementations, the sole structure 200 includes a midsole 210and an outsole 220 arranged in a layered configuration. For example, theoutsole 220 engages with a ground surface during use of the footwear 10and the midsole 210 is disposed between the upper 100 and the outsole220. In some examples, the sole structure 200 may also incorporateadditional layers such as an insole or sockliner that may reside withinthe interior void 102 of the upper 100 to receive a plantar surface ofthe foot to enhance the comfort of the footwear 10.

The midsole 210 may include a bottom surface 212 and a top surface orfootbed 214 disposed on an opposite side of the midsole 210 from thebottom surface 212. In some examples, a sidewall 216 of the midsole 210extends between the lower surface 212 and the upper surface 214.Stitching or adhesives may secure the midsole 210 to the upper 100. Inaddition, the midsole 210 may be attached to a strobel 218 disposedgenerally between the upper 100 and the midsole 210, as shown in FIG. 3.The footbed 214 may be contoured to conform to a profile of the bottomsurface (e.g., plantar) of the foot. In some examples, the insole orsockliner may be disposed on the footbed under the foot within at leasta portion of the interior void 102 of the upper 100.

In some examples, the outsole 220 includes a ground-engaging surface 222and an opposite inner surface 224. The outsole 220 may be attached tothe upper 100 via the midsole 210. The outsole 220 generally providesabrasion resistance and traction with the ground surface, and may beformed from one or more materials that impart durability and wearresistance, as well as enhance traction with the ground surface. Forexample, rubber may form at least a portion of the outsole 220.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sole structure 200 may include a cavity 230 forencapsulating the locking device 300 as well as passages/channels formedthrough the midsole 210 for routing the cable 402 therethrough. In theexample shown, the cavity 230 is formed through the footbed 214 and thebottom surface 212 of the midsole 210 such that the locking device 300affixed to the strobel 218 resides in the cavity 230. Otherconfigurations may include the cavity 230 formed into the footbed 214without extending through the bottom surface 212. In some examples, themidsole 210 is neither bonded to the strobel 218 nor the inner surface224 of the outsole 220, whereas the locking device 300 attaches/bonds tothe bottom surface of the strobel 218.

As described in greater detail below, the upper 100 and the solestructure 200 may include a plurality of features and elements forintegrating the locking device 300 into the article of footwear 10,allowing the locking device 300 to move the article of footwear 10between a tightened state and a relaxed state.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the locking device 300 includes an enclosure302 having a housing 304 and a cover 306, a locking member or lock 308disposed within the enclosure 302 and configured to selectively engagethe cable 402, and one or more rotary cable guides 310 disposed withinthe enclosure 302. As described in greater detail below, in someexamples the rotary cable guides 310 cooperate with cable 402 and theenclosure 302 to provide at least one of an audible feedback and atactile feedback when the cable 402 passes through the locking device300. The locking device 300 further includes a first biasing member orspring 312 configured to bias the locking member 308 towards an engagedor locked position, and a pair of second biasing members or springs 314configured to cooperate with the housing 304 to retain the lockingmember 308 in a disengaged or unlocked position, as described below withrespect to FIGS. 5 and 6.

With continued reference to FIGS. 9-13, the housing 304 defines a lengthextending between a first end 316 and a second end 318. The housing 304includes a base portion 320 having an outer surface 322 and acable-receiving inner surface 324 formed on an opposite side of the baseportion 320 from the outer surface 322. A peripheral wall 326 extendsfrom the inner surface 324 and cooperates with the base portion 320 andthe cover 306 to define a main cavity 328 of the enclosure 302,configured to receive the cable 402, the locking member 308, and thecable guides 310. In the illustrated example, the peripheral wall 326includes a pair of end walls 326 a at each of the first end 316 and thesecond end 318, and an opposing pair of sidewalls 326 b extendingbetween the end walls 326 a define a substantially rectangular housing.In other examples, the peripheral wall 326 may be continuous and definean annular peripheral wall of a circular enclosure 302, or may bemulti-faceted and define a polygonal enclosure 302.

The sidewall 326 may include a plurality of cable openings 330 formedtherethrough for providing communication between the main cavity 328 andan exterior of the enclosure 302. In the illustrated example, theopenings 330 include a first pair of openings 330 a proximate to thefirst end 316 for receiving a first end of the cable 402, and a secondpair of openings 330 b proximate to the second end 318 for receiving asecond end of the cable 402. Although the openings 330 a, 330 b of theillustrated example are shown as being formed through corners of theenclosure, the openings 330 a, 330 b may be formed entirely in the endwalls 326 a or entirely in the sidewalls 326 b.

With continued reference to the locking device 300, the housing 304includes a locking channel 332 defined by an opposing pair of locking orengagement surfaces 334 that converge toward one another such that thelocking channel is associated with a wedge-shaped configuration taperingtoward the second end 318 of the housing 304. Accordingly, theengagement surfaces 334 are defined by corresponding sidewalls of thehousing 304 converging toward one another and extending between theinner surface 324 of the base portion 320 and the cover 306 to definethe locking channel 332. As described in greater detail below, theengagement surfaces 334 cooperate with the locking member 308 to securethe cable 402.

The housing 304 further includes one or more shafts 336 configured to bereceived by the cable guides 310, and to act as an axle, or spindle,about which a cable guide co-axially rotates. As shown in FIG. 13, thehousing 304 includes a pair of the shafts 336 respectively disposedbetween the locking channel 332 and each of the second openings 330 b.Accordingly, the shafts 336 are positioned within the housing 304 suchthat the cable guides 310 will be engaged by the cable 402 as the cable402 passes between the locking channel 332 and the second openings 330b, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. However, the shafts 336 may bepositioned in other areas of the housing 304 such that the cable guides310 are arranged along a path of the cable 402.

With continued reference to FIG. 13, each of the shafts 336 may includea shoulder portion 338 protruding a first distance from the innersurface 324 of the base portion 320 and having a first diameter. Theshaft 336 further includes a neck portion 340 extending a seconddistance from a distal end of the shoulder portion 338 and having asecond diameter. The differences in diameters between the shoulderportion 338 and the neck portion 340 define a planar bearing surface 341for rotatably supporting the cable guides 310, as shown in FIG. 12. Anannular recess 342 configured to rotatably receive one of the cableguides 310 is formed in the inner surface 324 of the base portion 320and is concentric with the shaft 336. Accordingly, as discussed below,the cable guides 310 are configured to rotate about the shafts 336 andwithin the recesses 342 when the cable 402 passes through the lockingdevice 300.

As shown in FIG. 14, the housing 304 may include a pair of prongs 344having a first end 346 fixed to the housing 304 and a free-hangingdistal end 348 configured to intermittently engage the cable guides 310to produce an incremental audible output corresponding to movement ofthe cable 402 through the housing 304 by a predetermined distance, asdescribed in greater detail below. In the illustrated example, the firstend 346 of each of the prongs 344 is attached to a side of a boss thatextends from the inner surface 324 of the base portion 320. In otherexamples, the prong 344 may be attached directly to the base portion 320or one of the sidewalls 326 of the housing 304. In another example, thehousing 304, 304 a may be formed without the prongs, as shown in FIG.15.

Each prong 344 extends along a longitudinal axis A_(F) from the firstend 346 in a direction towards a respective one of the shafts 336. Insome examples, the longitudinal axis A_(F) of each prong 344 intersectsa central axis A_(S) of a respective one of the shafts 336. The prong344 is configured to resiliently flex along the longitudinal axis A_(F),such that the distal end 348 of the prong 344 is operable between aninterference position and a clearance position. In the interferenceposition, the distal end 348 of the prong 344 extends into a rotationalpath of an outer periphery of the cable guide 310, whereas the distalend 348 of the prong 344 is disposed outside of the outer periphery ofthe cable guide 310 when the prong 344 is in the clearance position.Accordingly, as the cable 402 is pulled through the locking device 300,the cable guides 310 are caused to rotate about the shafts 336 tointermittently engage the distal ends 348 of the prongs 344, therebycausing an audible and tactile feedback to be provided to the user toindicate movement of the cable 402. Accordingly, the cooperation of thepulleys 310 and the prongs 344 may define a feedback mechanism 349 ofthe locking device 300. As provided above, the housing 304 a may beformed without the prongs, as shown in FIG. 14. When the housing 304 ais formed without the prongs, the pulleys 310 may rotate freely withinthe housing without providing feedback to the user.

With reference to FIGS. 10 and 13, the housing 304 includes a pair ofretention features 350 configured to selectively engage the lockingmember 308 and to secure the locking member 308 in the unlockedposition, as shown in FIG. 13. The retention features 350 associatedwith the housing 304 may include a first retention feature 350 and asecond retention feature 350 disposed on opposite sides of the housing304, whereby the retention features 350 are biased inward toward thelocking member 308 by the second biasing members 314. In the illustratedexample, the retention features 350 each include a flexible tab 352integrally formed with the housing 304 such that the retention features350 act as living hinges movable between an engaged state and adisengaged state for allowing the locking member 308 to passtherebetween. Accordingly, each tab 352 extends along a longitudinalaxis A_(T) from a fixed first end 354 to a detached distal end 356. Asshown, the distal ends 356 of each tab 352 may partially define a pathof the cable 402 between the locking channel 332 and the openings 330 aat the first end 316 of the housing 304. Accordingly, the distal end 356may include a convex inner guide surface 358 along which the cable 402passes between the locking channel 332 and a respective one of the firstopenings 330 a.

Each of the retention features 350 further includes a projection 360extending laterally into the locking channel 332 from the distal end 356of the tab 352. A width of the projection 360 may taper along adirection from the first end 316 to the second end 318, such that theprojection 360 includes a retention surface 362 facing the first end 316of the housing 304 and a biasing surface 364 formed on the opposite sideof the projection 360 from the retention surface 362. Each of theretention surface 362 and the biasing surface 364 may be formed at anoblique angle with respect to a longitudinal axis A_(H) of the housing304. However, an angle of the retention surface 362 with respect to thelongitudinal axis A_(H) may be greater than the angle of the biasingsurface 364, such that the retention surface 362 is configured toprovide greater resistance to movement of the locking member 308 towardsthe second end 318 (i.e. the locked state) than towards the first end316 (i.e. the unlocked state). In the illustrated example, theprojection 360 is spaced apart from the distal end 356 of the tab 352,and cooperates with the distal end 356 to define a track 366 or passagefor guiding the cable 402 from the locking channel 332 to one of thefirst openings 330 a.

With continued reference to FIG. 9-11, the locking device 300 includes apair of the second biasing members 314 configured to bias the distalends 356 and, consequently, the projections 360 of the retentionfeatures 350 inwards toward the locking channel 332. In the illustratedexample, the biasing members 314 are compression springs that apply acontinuous biasing force F_(B) to the distal ends 356 of the tabs 352.In other examples, the biasing force F_(B) may be applied by other typesof biasing members 314, such as tension springs, coil springs, or byforming the first end 354 of the tab 352 as a resilient living hinge.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the locking member 308 is configured to beslideably received within the locking channel 332 of the housing 304. Asprovided above, the locking member 308 is operable between a lockedstate and an unlocked state to selectively lock the cable 402. Thelocking member 308 includes a first end 368, a second end 370, and apair of lock surfaces 372 formed on opposite sides of the locking memberbetween the first end 368 and the second end 370. In some examples, thelock surfaces 372 converge toward one another along a direction from thefirst end 368 to the second end 370, such that the lock surfaces 372 areparallel to respective ones of the engagement surfaces 334 of thehousing 304 when the locking member 308 is disposed within the lockingchannel 332. In the example shown, the lock surfaces 372 includeprojections or teeth 373 configured to permit movement by the cable 402towards the first end 316 of the housing 304 while restricting movementby the cable 402 towards the second end 318 of the housing 304 bygripping the cable 402 when the locking member 308 is in the lockedstate.

The first end 368 of the locking member 308 may include a tab portion374 having flared protuberances 376 extending outwardly therefrom, and apair of detents 378 formed between the protuberances 376 and the locksurfaces 372. Generally, the protuberances 376 include a biasing surface380 facing toward the first end 368 of the locking member 308 and aretention surface 382 facing in an opposite direction from the biasingsurface 380. The retention surface 382 defines a portion of the detent378. The biasing surfaces 380 of the protuberances 376 are configured tointerface with the biasing surfaces 364 of the retention features 350 tospread the projections 360 apart from each other as the protuberances376 pass between the projections 360 when the locking member 308 ismoved towards the first end 316 of the housing 304. The retentionsurfaces 382 of the protuberances 376 are configure to interface withthe retention surfaces 362 of the retention features 350 to secure thelocking member 308 in the unlocked state, as shown in FIG. 13.

With continued reference to FIGS. 9-11, the locking member 308 includesthe first biasing member 312 attached to the second end 370 and arelease cord 384 attached to the first end 368. As shown, the firstbiasing member 312 is a tension spring having a first end attached tothe second end 370 of the locking member 308 and a second end attachedto the second end 318 of the housing 304. Accordingly, the first biasingmember 312 is configured to apply a continuous engaging force F_(E) tothe locking member 308 to bias the locking member 308 towards the lockedstate. Conversely, the release cord 384 is attached to the tab 374 atthe first end 368 of the locking member 308 and is configured totransmit a selectively-applied release force F_(R) to the first end 368of the locking member 308. As discussed below, when the release forceF_(R) is greater than the engaging force F_(E), the locking member 308will move from the locked state towards the unlocked state.

FIG. 10 provides a top view of the locking device 300 with the cover 306removed to show the locking member 308 disposed within the lockingchannel 332 of the housing 304 while in the locked state. In someexamples, the locking member 308 is biased into the locked state by thefirst biasing member 312. For instance, FIG. 10 shows the first biasingmember 312 exerting the engaging force F_(E) upon the locking member 308to urge the second end 370 of the locking member 308 toward the secondend 318 of the housing 304, and thereby bias the locking member 308 intothe locked state. While in the locked state, the locking member 308restricts movement of the cable 402 relative to the housing 304 bypinching the locking portions 410 a, 410 b of the cable 402 between theengagement surfaces 334 and the lock surfaces 372. Accordingly, thelocked state of the locking member 308 restricts the cable 402 frommoving in the loosening direction D_(L) when the loosening force F_(L)is applied to the loosening grip 118. In the example shown, the lockingmember 308 permits movement of the cable 402 when the tightening forceF_(T) is applied to the cable 402, as this direction causes the cable402 to apply a force on the locking member 308 due to the generallywedge shape of the locking member 308, thereby moving the locking member308 into the unlocked state. The locking member 308 automaticallyreturns to the locked state once the force applied to the cable 402 isreleased due to the forces imparted on the locking member 308 by thebiasing member 312.

FIG. 11 provides a top view of the locking device 300 with the cover 306removed to show the locking member 308 disposed within the lockingchannel 332 of the housing 304 while in the unlocked position. In someexamples, the release cord 384 attached to the tab 374 of the lockingmember 308 applies the release force F_(R) upon the locking member 308to move the locking member 308 away from the engagement surfaces 334.Here, the release force F_(R) is sufficient to overcome the engagingforce F_(E) of the first biasing member 312 to permit the locking member308 to move relative to the housing 304 such that the pinching upon thelocking portions 410 a, 410 b of the cable 402 between the lock surfaces372 and the engagement surfaces 334 is released. In some examples, theengaging force F_(E) causes the locking member 308 to transition back tothe locked position when the release force F_(R) applied by the releasecord 384 is removed.

While in the unlocked state, the locking member 308 permits movement ofthe cable 402 relative to the housing 304 by allowing the lockingportions 410 a, 410 b of the cable 402 to freely move between therespective lock surfaces 372 and the engagement surfaces 334. Theunlocked state of the locking member 308 permits movement of the cable402 in both the tightening direction D_(T) and the loosening directionD_(L) when the pulling forces F_(T), F_(L) are applied to respectiveones of the control portion 406 and the fastening portion 408. Movementof the cable 402 in the tightening direction D_(T) causes the aneffective length of the fastening portion 408 to decrease to constrictthe elastic regions 110 of the upper 100 and thereby move the upper 100into the tightened state for closing the interior void 102 around thefoot, while movement of the cable 402 in the loosening direction D_(L)causes an effective length of the fastening portion 408 to increase toallow elastic regions 110 to revert back to their flat, relaxed statesand thereby facilitate a transition of the upper 100 from the tightenedstate to the loosened state such that the foot can be removed from theinterior void 102, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In some examples, a sufficient magnitude and/or duration of the releaseforce F_(R) applied to the release cord 384 causes the release cord 384to apply the release force F_(R) upon the locking member 308 in adirection opposite the direction of the engaging force F_(E) such thatthe locking member 308 moves away from the engagement surfaces 334relative to the housing 304 and toward the first end 316 of the housing304. At least one of the retention features 350 of the housing 304 mayengage the detent 378 of the locking member 308 when release force F_(R)moves the locking member 308 a predetermined distance away from theengagement surfaces 334 of the housing 304, as shown in FIG. 13. Here,engagement between the detents 378 of the locking member 308 and the atleast one retention feature 350 of the housing 304 maintains the lockingmember 308 in the unlocked position once the release force F_(R) isreleased. The engaging force F_(E) of the first biasing member 312 andthe forces exerted by the pair of second biasing members 314 on theretention features 350 lock the projections 360 of the retentionsfeatures 350 into engagement with the detents 378 of the locking member308 after the locking member 308 moves the predetermined distance andthe release force F_(R) is no longer applied.

In some scenarios, a release force F_(R) associated with a firstmagnitude may be applied to the release cord 384 to move the lockingmember 308 away from the engagement surfaces 334 by a distance less thanthe predetermined distance such that the retention features 350 do notengage. In these scenarios, the release force F_(R) associated with thefirst magnitude can be maintained when it is desirable to move the cable402 in the loosening direction D_(L) (e.g., by applying the looseningforce F_(L) to the loosening grip 118) or the tightening direction D_(T)(e.g., by applying the tightening force F_(T) to the control portion406) for adjusting the fit of the interior void 102 around the foot.Once the desired fit of the interior void 102 around the foot isachieved, the release force F_(R) can be released to cause the lockingmember 308 to transition back to the locked position so that movement ofthe cable 402 is restricted in the loosening direction D_(L) and thedesired fit can be sustained. It should be noted that even when thelocking member 308 is in the locked position, the cable 402 can be movedin the tightening direction D_(T). As such, once the loosening forceF_(L) is released and a desired fit is achieved, the locking member 308automatically retains the desired fit by locking a position of the cable402 relative to the housing 304.

In other scenarios, a release force F_(R) associated with a secondmagnitude greater than the first magnitude can be applied to the releasecord 384 to move the locking member 308 the predetermined distance awayfrom the engagement surfaces 334 to cause the corresponding retentionfeatures 350 to engage the detents 378. Engagement of the retentionfeatures 350 is facilitated by providing the projections 360 of theretention features 350 with a tapered biasing surface 364 that opposesthe locking member 308 to allow the locking member 308 to more easilymove the retention features 350 against the biasing force F_(B) impartedthereon by the second biasing members 314 when the release cord 384 ispulled the predetermined distance. In these scenarios, engagementbetween the corresponding retention features 350 and the detents 378maintains the locking member 308 in the unlocked position when therelease force F_(R) is released.

The locking member 308 is returned to the locked position when atightening force F_(T) is applied to the control portion 406. Namely,when the tightening force F_(T) is applied to control portion 406, thelateral control portion 406 a and the medial control portion 406 b areplaced in tension which, in turn, exerts a force on the second biasingmembers 314 via the distal ends 356 of the tab 352 of the retentionfeatures 350, as the lateral control portion 406 a and the medialcontrol portion 406 b pass through the first openings 330 a, as shown inFIG. 10. In so doing, the distal ends 356 of the retention features 350compress the second biasing members 314 and, as such, cause theprojections 360 of the retention features 350 to move away from oneanother and disengage the detents 378 of the locking member 308, therebyallowing the first biasing member 312 to return the locking member 308to the locked position.

With reference to FIGS. 9-12, the cable guides 310 could be pulleys 310that are rotatably coupled to the shafts 336 of the housing 304. Asshown in FIG. 15, each pulley 310 includes an upper surface 386, a lowersurface 388 defining a thickness of the pulley 310, and an aperture 390extending through the thickness of the pulley 310 and configured torotatably receive the shaft 336 of the housing 304. The aperture 390 mayinclude an inwardly extending flange 391 having an inner surface forrotatably receiving the neck portion 340 of the shaft 336, and a lowersurface supported by the bearing surface 341 of the shoulder portion 338of the shaft 336, as shown in FIG. 12. An outer wall 392 of the pulley310 extends between the upper surface 386 and the lower surface 388 anddefines a minor diameter of the pulley.

Referring to FIG. 15, each pulley 310 includes an upper flange 394 a anda lower flange 394 b. The upper flange 394 a is collectively formed by aplurality of upper protrusions 396 a spaced evenly around the outer wall392 of the pulley 310, adjacent to the upper surface 386. The upperprotrusions 396 a each extend a first length L1 around the outer wall392 of the pulley 310, and are spaced apart by a first distance D1.Similarly, the lower flange 394 b is collectively formed by a pluralityof lower protrusions 396 b spaced evenly about the outer wall 392 of thepulley 310, adjacent to the lower surface 388. The lower protrusions 396b extend a second length L2 around the outer wall 392 of the pulley, andare spaced apart by a second distance D2.

In the illustrated example, first length L1 of the upper protrusions 396a is the same as the second distance D2 between the lower protrusions396 b and the second length L2 of the lower protrusions 396 b is thesame as the first distance D1 between the upper protrusions 396 a.Furthermore, each of the upper protrusions 396 a is axially aligned withthe spaces formed between adjacent ones of the lower protrusions 396 b.Accordingly, the upper protrusions 396 a and the lower protrusions 396 bare alternatingly arranged around the outer wall 392 and do not overlapin an axial direction of the pulley 310. In other examples, differentlengths and spaces may be used so that the protrusions 396 a, 396 boverlap each other in the axial direction.

The upper protrusions 396 a and the lower protrusions 396 b cooperatewith the outer wall 392 of the pulley 310 to define a groove 398configured to receive a portion of the cable 402 therein. As describedabove, when the flanges 394 a, 394 b are defined by the protrusions 396a, 396 b, the groove 398 may be intermittently and alternatingly definedby the protrusions 396 a, 396 b. Accordingly, the cable 402 will becontinuously contained within the groove 398 by at least one of theupper protrusions 396 a and the lower protrusions 396 b.

With reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 12, each of thepulleys 310 are configured to be received within a respective one of theannular recesses 342 of the housing 304 such that the distal end 348 ofone of the prongs 344 extends into the spaces formed between adjacentones of the lower protrusions 396 b. Accordingly, the distal ends 348 ofthe prongs 344 interfere with a rotational path of the lower protrusions396 b. As the pulley 310 rotates, the lower protrusions 396 bintermittently engage the distal ends 348 of the prongs 344. Thisintermittent engagement provides both an audible feedback, in the formof a clicking noise, and a tactile feedback in the form of intermittentincreases in resistance. Accordingly, the cooperation of the pulley 310and the prongs 344 may be referred to as defining the feedback mechanism349 of the locking device 300.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 9, the fastening system 400 includes thecable 402 and a tracking system 404 formed on or in the upper 100 andthe sole structure 200 for routing the cable 402 and distributingtension of the cable 402 along the article of footwear 10.

The cable 402 may be may be formed from one or more fibers. Forinstance, the fibers may include polyethylene fibers. Additionally oralternatively, the cable 402 may be formed from a molded monofilamentpolymer and/or a woven steel with or without other lubrication coating.In some examples, the cable 402 includes multiple strands of materialwoven together.

In the illustrated example, the cable 402 includes the control portion406 extending from the first openings 330 a formed proximate to thefirst end 316, the fastening portion 408 extending from the secondopenings 330 b, and a pair of locking portions 410 extending between thecontrol portion 406 and the fastening portions 408.

The control portion 406 is configured to have a tightening force F_(T)applied thereto to move the cable 402 in the tightening direction D_(T).When incorporated into the article of footwear 10, the control portion406 may be arranged on the article of footwear 10 so that it can beeasily grasped by the user to pull the cable 402 in the tighteningdirection D_(T). The fastening portion 408 is configured to cooperatewith the tracking system 404 to tighten the article of footwear 10 whenthe tightening force F_(T) is applied to the control portion 406.Conversely, the fastening portions 408 are also configured to have aloosening force F_(L) applied thereto to move the cable 402 in aloosening direction D_(L). The locking portions 410 a are disposedwithin the housing 304 and are configured to (i) rotate the pulleys 310when the cable is pulled in the tightening direction D_(T) and (ii)interface with the locking member 308 to secure the position of thecontrol portion 406.

In some examples, each of the control portion 406 and the fasteningportion 408 may be referred to as including a lateral portion 406 a, 408a and a medial portion 406 b, 408 b. The lateral portions 406 a, 408 aand the medial portions 406 b, 408 b may be connected to each other suchthat each of the control portion 406 and the fastening portion 408define continuous effective lengths of the cable 402 extending betweenthe openings 330 a, 330 b. Alternatively, at least one of the controlportion 406 and the fastening portion 408 may include separated lateralportions 406 a, 408 a and medial portions 406 b, 408 b. For example, asshown in FIG. 3, the fastening portion 408 may include a lateralfastening portion 408 a extending from one of the first openings 330 ato lateral terminal end 409 a and a medial fastening portion 408 bextending from the other of the first openings 330 a to a medialterminal end 409 b. The terminal ends 409 a, 409 b may operativelyconnect to one another along the bottom surface of the strobel 218within the forefoot region 12 of the footwear 10. The lateral controlportion 406 a is connected to the lateral fastening portion 408 a by alateral locking portion 410 a, and the medial control portion 406 b isconnected to the medial fastening portion 408 b by the medial lockingportion 410 b.

While an overall length of the cable 402 remains constant, effectivelengths of the control portion 406 and the fastening portion 408 of thecable 402 depend upon the position of the cable 402 with respect to thelocking device 300. For example, when the control portion 406 is pulledand the cable 402 moves in the tightening direction D_(T) through thelocking device 300, the effective length of the control portion 406 willincrease and the effective length of the fastening portion 408 willdecrease. Conversely, when the fastening portion 408 is pulled and thecable 402 moves in the loosening direction D_(L) through the lockingdevice 300, the effective length of the fastening portion 408 willincrease to loosen the article of footwear 10 and the effective lengthof the control portion 406 will decrease. As provided above, the lockingportion 410 refers to the portion of the cable 402 that is containedwithin the locking device 300, regardless of the position of the cable402. Accordingly, the effective lengths control portion 406, thefastening portion 408, and the locking portion 410 are not fixedsections of the cable 402 itself, but depend on the position of thecable 402 with respect to the locking device 300.

Although the illustrated example shows the cable 402 as beingcontinuously formed, in other example the cable 402 may be fragmentary,whereby ends of one or more cables are attached to each other directlyor indirectly to form the cable 402. For example, the cable 402 maycomprise a first segment including the lateral control portion 406 a,the lateral fastening portion 408 a, and the lateral locking portion 410a, and a separately formed second segment including the medial controlportion 406 b, the medial fastening portion 408 b, and the mediallocking portion 410 b. In this example, ends of the control portions 406a, 406 b of each of the segments are attached to each other eitherdirectly, or by an intermediate component, to form a loop. As describedabove, ends of the fastening portions 408 a, 408 b may be attached toeach other or to the upper 100.

The control portion 406 may include one or more accumulators 411configured to maintain the control portion 406 in a position against theupper 100 as the cable 402 is moved from the tightened position to theloosened position. For example, when the tightening force F_(T) isapplied to the control portion 406, an effective length of the controlportion 406 may increase as the cable 402 moves in the tighteningdirection D_(T). To prevent the control portion 406 from having excessslack and sagging from the upper 100, the accumulators 411 take up theadditional effective length of the control portion 406 so that thecontrol portion 406 remains taut against the upper 100. In theillustrated example, the accumulators 411 may be tubes or conduitshaving a greater cross-section than a cross-section of the cable 402. Inone configuration, the accumulators 411 may be formed from an elasticmaterial to allow the cable 402 to be moved into the tighteningdirection D_(T) away from the upper 100 and automatically return to aposition adjacent to the upper 100 when a force exerted on theaccumulator 411 is released. Once the force is released and the cable402 is moved into the tightening direction D_(T), the excess slack inthe cable 402 is accommodated within the accumulator 411, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 3.

The fastening system 400 further includes the tracking system 404including a plurality of cable guides 412 and conduits 414 integratedinto the upper 100 and the sole structure 200 to distribute tension ofthe cable 402 along the article of footwear 10.

In some examples, at least one of the lateral side 18 and the medialside 20 of the upper 100 include a series of engagement features, orcable guides, 412 that extend along opposite sides of the elasticregions 110. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2A, the cableguides 412 may each include a base 416 and a flange 418 extending fromthe base 416. The base 416 may be attached to the upper 100 such thatthe base 416 extends from the upper 100. The flange 418 may beintegrally formed with the base 416 and may include a concave innersurface 420 that extends along an arcuate path. In the illustratedexample, the cable guides 412 are oriented such that the arcuate path ofthe inner surface 420 is convex. The cable guides 412, and thus, theinner surface 420, may be formed from a low-friction material such as,for example, nylon. Further, the base 416 and flange 418 may be formedfrom a relatively rigid material to restrict movement of the cable guide412 relative to the inelastic regions 112 to allow the cable guides 412to remain in a desired position relative to the upper 100, therebyallowing the inner surface 420 to adequately guide the cable 402relative to the upper 100. Finally, the flange 418 may include an outersurface 422 that is substantially parallel to the inner surface 420 andincludes a concave shape. In other examples, the outer surface 422 maybe planar, or have a convex shape.

In the illustrated example, the inner surface 420 and the outer surface422 cooperate to provide the cable guide 412 with an overall curvedprofile such that the inner surface 420 includes a substantial C-shapethat serves to receive and guide the fastening portion 408 of the cable402, as shown in areas 2A and 2B of FIG. 2. In one configuration, thelateral and medial fastening portions 408 a, 408 b enter the cable guide412, extend along the inner surface 420, and exit the cable guide 412 ata tangent to the inner surface 420. While the cable guides 412 are shownand described as being open and as having C-shapes, one or more of thecable guides 412 could be formed from curved tubing such that the innersurface is defined by an inner surface of the curved tubing, as shown inthe example of the article of footwear 10, 10 a, in FIG. 4. In such aconfiguration, the tubing could be formed at the same or similar radiusas the flange 418.

As provided above, tubing of the cable guides 412 may be formed from asubstantially rigid material and may define inner surfaces 420 thatslidably receive the fastening portions 408 a, 408 b when the cable 402moves between the tightening direction D_(T) and the loosening directionD_(L). Further, the tubes may not be fully enclosed, whereby the cableguides 412 only include walls at a location where the fastening portions408 a, 408 b contact the cable guide 412. For example, the flange 418 ofthe cable guides 412 may be open in a direction facing away from elasticregion 110 and closed at a side (i.e., the side in contact with thecable 402) opposing the elastic region 110.

In some examples, the inner (cable contacting) surfaces 420 of the cableguides 412 are lined or coated with a low friction material, such as alubricous polymer (e.g., high density polyethylene, fluoropolymers suchas Teflon™, polytetrafluoroethylene-based and/or perfluoroalkoxy-basedpolymers, fluorinated ethylene propylene, etc.), that facilitatesmovement of the cable 402 therein. By coating portions of the cableguides with a low friction material, the number of turns taken by eachlacing pattern can be increased. For instance, the cable guides 412provide five (5) turns of the cable 402 on each of the lateral side 18and medial side 20 without friction detrimentally inhibiting movement bythe cable 402 in the tightening direction D_(T). In other examples, thecable guides 412 include apertures (e.g., eyelets) formed through theinelastic regions 112 a, 112 b of the upper 100, or fabric or mesh loopsattached to the inelastic regions 112 a, 112 b of the upper 100 toreceive the fastening portions 408 a, 408 b. Fabric or meshloops/webbing may generate more friction with the cable 402 when thecable 402 moves in the tightening direction D_(T) compared to that of acable guide lined with the low friction material. Accordingly, themaximum number of fabric or mesh loops for use as the cable guides 412may be limited to not exceed a threshold number of turns of the cable402 so that friction does not detrimentally inhibit movement by thecable 402 in the tightening direction D_(T).

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lateral fastening portion408 a and the medial fastening portion 408 b route through correspondingones of the cable guides 412 disposed along the throat closure 116 ofthe upper 100. After routing through the cable guides, the terminal ends409 a, 409 b of the lateral fastening portion 408 a and the medialfastening portion 408 b may operatively connect to one another along thebottom surface of the strobel 218 at a location proximate to theforefoot region 12, as shown in FIG. 3. For instance, a connector 424may connect the terminal ends 409 a, 409 b to one another or theterminal ends 409 a, 409 b may be knotted together, adhesively bonded toeach other, or melded together. In other configurations, the terminalends 409 a, 409 b of the fastening portion 408 secure to the upper 100at separate locations proximate to a distal end of the throat closure116.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the lateral side 18 and themedial side 20 of the upper 100 include a set of upper cable guides 412a disposed upon the upper inelastic regions 112 a and a set of lowercable guides 412 b opposing the set of upper cable guides 412 a anddisposed upon the lower inelastic regions 112 b. Accordingly, theelastic regions 110 are disposed between the upper cable guides 412 aand the lower cable guides 412 b. The example of FIG. 1 shows the uppercable guides 412 a and the lower cable guides 412 b including individualsections of tube each having a corresponding inlet for receiving one ofthe terminal ends 409 a, 409 b of the fastening portions 408 a, 408 bfrom across the elastic region 110 and a corresponding outlet fordirecting the terminal ends 409 a, 409 b back across the elastic region110. In some examples, each cable guide 412 is associated with a sectionof tubing bent at substantially ninety-degrees (90°) through acontinuous curvature and attached to the upper and lower inelasticregions 112 a, 112 b. For instance, the tubing associated with the cableguide 412 may be sewn or adhesively bonded to the inelastic region 112or to an intermediary material attached to the inelastic region 112.While the example shows the cable guides 412 on each of the lateral side18 and the medial side 20 including three upper cable guides 412 a andtwo lower cable guides 412 b, other configurations may include each setincluding a greater or lesser number of cable guides 412 a, 412 b. Insome examples, the lower cable guides 412 b include a greater number ofcable guides 412 than the upper cable guides 412 a. In yet anotherexample, the upper and lower cable guides 412 a, 412 b each include thesame number of cable guides 412.

The number of upper and lower cable guides 412 a, 412 b may be optimizedto reduce friction when the cable 402 moves in the tightening directionD_(T). Moreover, the placement of the upper and lower cable guides 412a, 412 b upon the upper 100 may be selected so that each section of thecable 402 extending between each corresponding pair of upper and lowercable guides 412 a, 412 b is substantially straight to reduce frictionwhen the cable moves in the tightening and loosening directions D_(T),D_(L). In some implementations, to provide an equal distribution oftightening as the upper 100 moves into the tightened state, the numberof upper cable guides 412 a on the lateral side 18 is equal to thenumber of upper cable guides 412 a on the medial side 20, and the numberof lower cable guides 412 b on the lateral side 18 is equal to thenumber of lower cable guides 412 b on the medial side 20.

In some implementations, one or more routing tubes 426 are configured toreceive portions of the cable 402 for routing the control portion 406and the fastening portion 408 through and along the footwear 10. Each ofrouting tubes 426 may include an inner diameter that is greater than anouter diameter of the received portion of the cable 402. In someexamples, the routing tubes 426 facilitate movement of the controlportion 406 and the fastening portion 408 relative to the upper 100 whenthe cable 402 is moved in the tightening direction D_(T) and theloosening directions D_(L).

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first routing tube 426 a may receiveand route a portion of the lateral fastening portion 408 a extendingfrom the locking device 300 and a second routing tube 426 b may receiveand route a portion of the medial fastening portion 408 b through themidsole 210 and the upper 100. Similarly, a third routing tube 426 c mayreceive and route the lateral control portion 406 a and a fourth routingtube 426 d may receive and route the medial control portion 406 bthrough the midsole 210 and along the upper 100. Moreover, a fifthrouting tube 426 e may receive and route a portion of the release cord384 through the midsole 210 and the upper 100. While the examples showthe tubes 426 all extending through passages formed through the upper100 from the midfoot region 14 of the midsole 210 toward the throatclosure 116 of the upper 100 or the ankle opening 104 of the upper 100at the heel region 16, one or more of the tubes 426 may be disposed onan exterior surface of the upper 100 or disposed on an interior surfaceof the upper 100 within the interior void 102.

As shown in FIG. 7, the fastening system 400 includes a plurality ofpassages 428 formed in the sole structure 200. The passages 428 areconfigured to receive and route the ends of the cable 402 and therelease cord 384 that extend out of the locking device 300 disposed inthe midfoot region 14. Here, a first passage 428 a may receive the endof lateral fastening segment 408 a extending between the locking device300 and the first routing tube 426 a, and a second passage 428 b mayreceive the end of the medial fastening portion 408 b extending betweenthe locking device 300 and the second routing tube 426 b. In someimplementations, the first passage 428 a and corresponding first routingtube 426 a each include a first portion extending from the lockingdevice 300 toward the lateral side 18 of the midsole 210 to a bendsection, and a second portion extending from the bend section toward theankle opening 104 at the heel region 16. The second portion of therouting tube 426 a may exit the passage 428 a of the midsole 210 andextend along a portion of the lateral side 18 of the upper 100.Likewise, the second passage 428 b and corresponding second routing tube426 b may each include a first portion extending from the locking device300 toward the medial side 20 of the midsole 210 to a bend section and asecond portion extending from the bend section toward the ankle opening104 at the heel region 16. The second portion of the routing tube 426 bmay exit the passage 428 b of the midsole 210 and extend along a portionof the medial side 20 of the upper 100. Accordingly, and with referenceto FIGS. 1-3, the upper 100 includes additional routing features for thefastening portion 408 of the cable 402 to direct the lateral fasteningportion 408 a and the medial fastening portion 408 b along correspondingones of the lateral and medial sides 18, 20 of the upper 100 prior torouting through the corresponding lateral and medial cable guides 412disposed along the lateral and medial sides 18, 20 of the throat closure116.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, third and fourth passages 428 c, 428 d areconfigured to receive and route ends of the lateral control portion 406a and the medial control portion 406 b that extend out of the lockingdevice 300. Here, the third passage 428 c may receive portions of thethird routing tube 426 c having the lateral control portion 406 aenclosed therein, and the fourth passage 428 d may receive portions ofthe fourth routing tube 426 d having the medial control portion 406 b ofthe cable 402 enclosed therein. In some implementations, the thirdpassage 428 c and corresponding third routing tube 426 c each include afirst portion extending from the locking device 300 toward the lateralside 18 of the midsole 210 to a bend section and a second portionextending from the bend section toward a location proximate to where thethroat closure 116 and the ankle opening 104 intersect. The secondportion of the third routing tube 426 c may exit the third passage 428 cof the midsole 210 and extend along the lateral side 18 of the upper 100in a direction away from the outsole 220. Likewise, the fourth passage428 d and corresponding fourth routing tube 426 d may each include afirst portion extending from the locking device 300 toward the medialside 20 of the midsole 210 to a bend section and a second portionextending from the bend section toward the location proximate to wherethe throat closure 116 and the ankle opening 104 intersect. The secondportion of the fourth routing tube 426 d may exit the fourth passage 428d of the midsole 210 and extend along the medial side 20 of the upper100 in a direction away from the outsole 220.

With continued reference to FIGS. 3 and 7, release passage 428 e isconfigured to receive and route portions of the release cord 384 thatextends out of the first end 316 of locking device 300. Here, therelease passage 428 e may receive portions of a routing tube 426 ehaving a portion of the release cord 384 enclosed therein. In someimplementations, the release passage 428 e includes a first portionextending from the locking device 300 toward the heel region 16 of themidsole 210 to a first bend section, a second portion extending from thefirst bend section toward the medial side 20 of the midsole 210 to asecond bend section, and a third portion extending from the second bendsection toward the location proximate to where the throat closure 116and the ankle opening 104 intersect. The third portion of the fifthrouting tube 426 e may exit the release passage 428 e of the midsole 210and enter a corresponding passage formed through the upper 100 thatextends along the medial side 20 of the upper 100 before exiting thepassage and attaching to the upper 100 at second end to provide arelease grip 430 that allows the user to apply the release force F_(R)for transitioning the locking device 300 to the unlocked state, asindicated by the arrow in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Portions of the routing tubes 426 extending through the correspondingpassages 428 formed in the midsole 210 may attach to surfaces of thestrobel 218 at one or more locations and/or to opposing surfaces of themidsole 210. The routing tubes 426 may be formed from a substantiallyrigid material and may define interior walls configured to facilitatemovement of the cable 402 in the tightening and loosening directionsD_(T), D_(L). In some examples, the routing tubes 426 are lined orcoated with a low friction material, such as a lubricous polymer (e.g.,polytetrafluoroethylene), that facilitates the movement of the cable 402therethrough.

As provided above, the control portion 406 of the cable 402 is acontinuous loop extending from the first end 316 of the locking device300. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the control portion 406 extends around thetongue portion 106 proximate to where the ankle opening 104 and thethroat closure 116 meet (i.e., proximate to an area above an instep of awearer's foot). The portion of the control portion 406 that extendsaround the tongue portion 106 may be enclosed within a sheath 432. Thesheath 432 may include an inner cavity or space having a largercross-sectional area than an outer diameter of the cable 402 toaccommodate bunching of the control portion 406.

The sheath 432 may additionally be formed from a material and/or a weavethat allows the sheath 432 to move from a relaxed state to a stretchedor expanded state when the control portion 406 is moved in a directionaway from the upper 100 by way of the tightening force F_(T) (i.e., whenthe cable 402 is moved in the tightening direction D_(T)). When thetightening force F_(T) is removed, the material and/or weave of thesheath 432 automatically causes the sheath 432 to contract to therelaxed state and accommodate bunching by the control portion 406therein.

In the example shown, a separate control portion grip 434 operativelyconnects to the sheath 432 at an attachment location proximate to thetongue portion 106 to allow a user to apply the tightening force F_(T)to pull the control portion 406 away from the upper 100, and therebyconstrict the elastic regions 110 by simultaneously drawing the upperand lower inelastic regions 112 a, 112 b toward one another to move theupper 100 into the tightened state. Other configurations may includeoperatively connecting the control portion grip 434 to other portions ofthe sheath 432 along the length of the control portion 406. In someimplementations, the control portion grip 434 is omitted and the sheath432 corresponds to the control portion 406 by allowing a user to graspand apply the tightening force F_(T) to pull the control portion 406away from the upper 100.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the fastening system 400 may include aplurality of conduits 414 disposed on an outer surface of the upper 100for routing the cable 402 between the sole structure 200 and the cableguides 412. For example, the lateral fastening portion 408 a extendsfrom the locking device 300 at the midfoot region 14 and along thelateral side 18 of the upper 100 to a first conduit 414 a disposedproximate to the heel region 16. A second conduit 414 b serves as ananchor point for the lateral fastening portion 408 a to cause thelateral fastening portion 408 a to extend in a direction proximate tothe ankle opening 104 along the lateral side 18 of the upper 100 to acable guide 412 disposed proximate to where the ankle opening 104 andthe throat closure 116 meet. The lateral fastening portion 408 a is thenfed through a rear-most upper cable guide 412 a, across the elasticregion 110, and through a rear-most lower cable guide 412 b. The lateralfastening portion 408 a continues zigzagging across the elastic region110 to sequentially feed through the upper and lower cable guides 412 a,412 b before finally operatively connecting to the medial fasteningportion 408 b at the terminal ends 409 a, 409 b as shown in FIG. 3. Asshown in FIG. 2, the medial fastening portion 408 b is routed in asubstantially similar manner along the medial side 20 of the article offootwear 10.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, in some implementations, the lacing patternassociated with the lateral fastening portion 408 a and the lacingpattern associated with the medial fastening portion 408 b are selectedso that a total closure between the upper inelastic region 112 a and thelower inelastic region 112 b on the lateral side 18 is approximatelyequal to a total closure distance between the upper inelastic region 112a and the lower inelastic region 112 b of the medial side 20. FIG. 5shows the upper 100 in the relaxed or loosened state, while FIG. 6 showsthe upper 100 in the tightened state whereby the distances between theupper inelastic region 112 a and the lower inelastic region 112 b arereduced when the fastening portion 408 moves in the tightening directionD_(T).

In some implementations, a take-up distance of the lateral fasteningportion 408 a is substantially equal to a take-up distance of the medialfastening portion 408 b when the cable 402 moves in the tighteningdirection D_(T). Accordingly, the take-up distance of the lateralfastening portion 408 a is approximately equal to the reduction of widthof the elastic region 110 on the lateral side 18, while the take-updistance of the medial fastening portion 408 b is approximately equal tothe reduction of width of the elastic region 110 on the medial side 20.Thus, the lacing patterns associated with the lateral and medialfastening portions 408 a, 408 b of the cable 402 may uniformlydistribute tension across the throat closure 116 by constricting theelastic regions 110 when the locking device 300 transitions the upper100 from the relaxed state, as indicated by first width W1 of theelastic regions 110 in FIG. 5, to the tightened state, as indicated bythe reduced width W2 of the elastic regions 110 in FIG. 6.

Moreover, with continued reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 the upper 100 maydefine a passage along the medial side 20 for guiding portions of therelease cord 384 that transitions the locking device 300 from the lockedstate to the unlocked state for permitting the cable 402 to move in bothdirections D_(T), D_(L). For instance, the release cord 384 may bepulled to transition the locking device 300 to the unlocked state andmay extend from a first end attached to the locking device 300 to asecond end exposed from the upper 100 to permit a user to grip and pullthe release cord 384 for moving the locking device 300 from the lockedstate to the unlocked state. In some examples, the second end of therelease cord 384 is provided with the loop and/or gripping feature 430to allow a user to grip and pull the release cord 384 when it isdesirable to move the locking device 300 into the unlocked state and/orrelease the locking device 300 from the unlocked state. The examplefootwear 100 shows the second end of the release cord 384 attached to,and enclosed within, a sheath 440 corresponding to a loosening grip 430that allows a user to apply a release force F_(R) (FIG. 3) to the sheath440 and/or the release cord 384 to move the locking device 300 to theunlocked state by moving the release cord 384 in a direction away fromthe upper 100. The sheath 440 may include a fabric material attached tothe exterior surface of the upper 100 to define a sleeve or passage forguiding and enclosing portions of the release cord 384 that extend outof the midsole 210 and operably connect the release cord 384 at thesecond end. The sleeve or passage defined by the sheath 440 mayaccommodate bunching by the release cord 384 after the release forceF_(R) is applied, similar to the bunching described above with respectto the accumulator 411 of the control portion 406. In other examples,the second end of the release cord 384 can be disposed proximate toother regions of the footwear 10 such as at or near the tongue portion106, the lateral side 18 of the upper 100, or the heel region 16 theupper 100.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an alternative configuration of thefootwear 10, 10 a showing the release cord 384 extending out of apassage along the medial side 20 of the upper 100, 100 a and the controlportion 406 extending into a corresponding passage defined by the upper100 a to provide the appearance that the control portion 406 and therelease cord 384 correspond to the same cable/cord. Here, the exposedportion of the control portion 406 extending around the tongue portion106 is substantially aligned with the exposed portion of the releasecord 384. The control portion may be enclosed within the sheath 432 andmay optionally include the control portion 406 for allowing the user toapply the tightening force F_(T), and the release cord 384 may beenclosed within the sheath 440 and have the second end attached to theupper 100 a to provide the release grip 430 that allows the user toapply the release force F_(R) for moving the locking device 300 from thelocked state to the unlocked state. The sheaths 432, 440 may define asubstantially equal thickness and a substantially equal width. Thus, inaddition to forming the release grip 430, attaching the second end ofthe release cord 384 to the upper 100 at the attachment location alongthe medial side 20 gives the perception that the two sheaths 432, 440are both routing exposed portions of the same cable/cord, despite thefact that the release cord 384 and the control portion 406 moveindependently from one another. While not shown in the alternativeconfiguration, the first end of the release cord 384 attaches to thelocking device 300.

As discussed above with respect to FIGS. 10 and 11, the locking device300 is operable between a locked state restricting movement of the cable402 in the loosening direction D_(L) and an unlocked state permittingmovement of the cable 402 in both the loosening direction D_(L) and thetightening direction D_(T). In some implementations, the locking device300 permits movement of the cable 402 in the tightening direction D_(T)when the locking device 300 is in the locked state. This arrangementallows the cable 402 to move in the tightening direction D_(T) each timethe tightening force F_(T) is applied to the control portion 406 whilerestricting movement in either the tightening direction D_(T) or theloosening direction D_(L) when the tightening force F_(T) is released.In doing so, the interior void 102 can be incrementally tightened aroundthe foot until a desired fit is achieved. In these implementations, thelocking device 300 must transition from the locked state to the unlockedstate to permit the cable 402 to move in the loosening direction D_(L)when the loosening force F_(L) is applied to the fastening portion 408.In other words, the cable 402 is restricted from moving in the looseningdirection D_(L) when the loosening force F_(L) is applied to thefastening portion 408 unless the locking device 300 is in the unlockedstate.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cable 402 is movable in the tighteningdirection D_(T) when a tightening force F_(T) is applied to the controlportion 406 to pull the control portion 406 away from the upper 100 totighten the cable guides 412, and thereby move the upper 100 into thetightened state. For example, once a foot is received by the interiorvoid 102 and supported upon the sole structure 200, the upper 100 may beautomatically tightened to secure the fit of the interior void 102around the foot by applying the tightening force F_(T) to the controlportion 406 without the need of having to manually tie shoe laces ormanually fasten other fasteners to tighten the upper 100. Here, themovement of the cable 402 in the tightening direction D_(L) causes aneffective length of the control portion 406 to increase and an effectivelength of the fastening portion 408 to decrease. The decrease in theeffective length of the fastening portion 408 is operative to cause theupper cable guides 412 a to be pulled towards the lower cable guides 412b to cinch and tighten the upper 100 around the foot such that the footis secured within the interior void 102 while supported upon the solestructure 200, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. Namely, decreasing theeffective length of the fastening portion 408 exerts a tensioning forceon the cable guides 412, thereby causing the cable guides 412 to bedrawn towards each other and tighten the upper 100 around the foot, asthe fastening portion 408 is attached to the cable guides 412.

In some examples, a desired fit of the interior void 102 around the footis adjustable based upon a magnitude of the tightening force F_(T)applied to the control portion 406. For instance, increasing themagnitude of the tightening force F_(T) may move the cable 402 furtherin the tightening direction D_(T) such that the tightening of the cableguides 412 along the upper 100 increases to achieve a tighter fit of theinterior void 102 around the foot. Additionally or alternatively, thefit of the interior void 102 around the foot may be adjustable basedupon a duration of the tightening force F_(T) applied to the controlportion 406. For instance, tightening forces F_(T) applied to thecontrol portion 406 for longer durations may result in the cable 402moving a further distance in the tightening direction D_(T) to achieve atighter fit of the interior void 102 around the foot.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cable 402 is movable in the loosening directionD_(L) when a loosening force F_(L) is applied to the loosening grip 118while the cable lock 300 is in the unlocked state. As discussed above,the cable lock 300 is moved to the unlocked state by applying a releaseforce F_(R) to the release cord 384 to move the locking member 308 awayfrom the engagement surfaces 334.

In the illustrated example, the cable 402 may be indirectly caused tomove in the loosening direction D_(L) by pulling the loosening grip 118.For example, the when the loosening force F_(L) is applied to theloosening grip 118, the tongue portion 106 is pulled in a direction awayfrom the upper 100 to expand the interior cavity 102. As a result of thetongue portion 106 being pulled away from the upper 100, the upper cableguides 412 a are pulled apart from the lower cable guides 412 b, and theeffective length of the fastening portion 408 is caused to increase.When the loosening force F_(L) is released from the loosening grip 118,the upper 100 may move to a relaxed state, whereby the increasedeffective length of the fastening portion 408 allows the interior cavity102 to be expanded for donning or doffing of the footwear 10. In otherexamples, the loosening force F_(L) may be applied directly to thefastening portion 408 to increase the effective length of the fasteningportion 408. For example, the fastening portion 408 may include one ormore pull tabs that can be grasped by the user for applying theloosening force F_(L).

Accordingly, the footwear 10 may be donned and doffed without having tountie shoe laces or unfasten one or more fasteners to loosen the upper100. Particularly, as the cable 402 moves in the loosening directionD_(L), an effective length of the fastening portion 408 of the cable 402is increased as the effective length of the control portion 406 isdecreased. Here, the increase to the effective length of the fasteningportion 408 allows the upper cable guides 412 a to move away from thelower cable guides 412 b to facilitate a transition of the upper 100from the tightened state to the loosened state such that the foot can beremoved from the interior void 102 through the ankle opening 104.

As the cable 402 is pulled through the locking device in one of thetightening direction D_(T) and the loosening direction D_(L), the cable402 engages the grooves 398 of the respective pulleys 310 and causeseach of the pulleys 310 to rotate about the shafts 336 of the housing304. As the pulleys 310 rotate, the distal ends 348 of the prongs 344are intermittently engaged by the lower protrusions 396 b of the pulley310. As provided above, each of the lower protrusions 396 b extends thesame length L2 around the outer wall 392 of the pulley 310 and areregularly spaced from each other by a distance D2. Accordingly, theintermittent engagement of the distal ends 348 of the prongs 344 withthe protrusions 396 b corresponds to movement of the cable 402 by anincrement corresponding to the sum of the distance D2 betweenprotrusions 396 b and the lengths L2 of the lower protrusions 396 b. Forexample, when the cable 402 is pulled in the tightening direction D_(T)a distance equal to the sum D2 and L2, the pulley 310 will rotate anamount equal to one increment. Each increment will be indicated by theintermittent engagement between the distal end 348 of the prong 344 andthe lower protrusions 396 b in the form of an audible feedback and/or atactile feedback. For example, as the protrusion 396 b engages thedistal end 348 of the prong 344, a click noise may be generated toindicate to the user that the cable 402 is moving through the lockingdevice 300. Similarly, the engagement of the distal end 348 of the prong344 with the pulley 310 may be felt by the user in the form of a tactilefeedback, as a resistance to movement in the tightening direction D_(T)may be intermittently provided.

While the locking device 300 of FIGS. 1-18 is described as beingdisposed upon the bottom surface of the strobel 218 in the midfootregion 14 and encapsulated by the cavity of the midsole 210, the lockingdevice 300 may be disposed at other locations without departing from thescope of the present disclosure. For instance, the location of thelocking device 300 be under the foot and may shift from the midfootregion 14 to either one of the forefoot region 12 or the heel region 16.In other configurations, the locking device 300 may be disposed uponexterior surfaces of the upper 100 at any suitable location, such asalong the heel region of the upper 100, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, orover the top of the foot (e.g., above the instep) on the upper 100 orthe tongue portion 106 as shown in FIG. 18. In other configurations, thelocking device 300 may be disposed within the interior void 102 of theupper 100 and between the inner surface of the strobel 218 and a drop-inmidsole. The routing of the control portion 406, the control portion406, and the release cord 384 may be adapted to accommodate a change inlocation for the locking device 300 so that the upper 100 may be movedbetween the loosened state and the tightened state. The passagesenclosing the second end of the release cord 384 may be disposed at thelateral side 18 or the medial side 20 of the upper 100, or any othersuitable location, when the locking device 300 is disposed on the upper100 at the heel region 16.

The following Clauses provide exemplary configurations for an article offootwear and a cable lock in accordance with the principles of thepresent disclosure.

Clause 1: An article of footwear comprising an upper defining aninterior void, a cable movable in a tightening direction to move theupper into a tightened state and movable in a loosening direction tomove the upper into a loosened state, and a cable lock coupled with thearticle of footwear and including a housing and operable in a lockedstate to restrict movement of the cable in the loosening direction andoperable in an unlocked state to permit movement of the cable in theloosening direction, the cable lock including a first pulley disposedwithin the housing and positioned to freely rotate in response tomovement of the cable through the housing and along an outercircumferential portion of the first pulley.

Clause 2: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the cableincludes a control portion operable to be moved away from the upper in afirst direction to move the cable in the tightening direction.

Clause 3: The article of footwear of Clause 2, wherein the cable lock isdisposed remotely from the control portion.

Clause 4: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the first pulleyincludes a plurality of protrusions extending from a rotational axis ofthe first pulley, the protrusions defining openings disposed betweenadjacent protrusions of the plurality of protrusions.

Clause 5: The article of footwear of Clause 4, wherein the first pulleydefines a groove extending around an outer circumference of the firstpulley, the groove operable to receive the cable therein.

Clause 6: The article of footwear of Clause 5, wherein the groove isdefined between corresponding protrusions at each of a first side and anopposing second side of the first pulley.

Clause 7: The article of footwear of Clause 4, further comprising aprong coupled with the housing and having a first end operable to beintermittently engaged by the plurality of protrusions when the firstpulley rotates.

Clause 8: The article of footwear of Clause 7, wherein the prongincludes a second end attached to the housing, the first end movingrelative to the second end when the first pulley rotates.

Clause 9: The article of footwear of Clause 8, wherein the prong isintegrally formed with the housing.

Clause 10: The article of footwear of Clause 8, wherein the prong has afirst length extending between the second end and the first end, theprong being flattened along a portion of the first length.

Clause 11: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the cable lockincludes a second pulley operable to provide at least one of audiblefeedback and tactile feedback when the cable is translated relative toand within the housing in the tightening direction, the second pulleyengaging a different portion of the cable than the first pulley.

Clause 12: The article of footwear of Clause 11, wherein a biasingspring extends between the first pulley and the second pulley, a firstend of the biasing spring being coupled with the housing and a secondend of the biasing spring being coupled with a sliding lock member.

Clause 13: The article of footwear of Clause 11, wherein the housing iselongate and has a longitudinal midline, the first pulley is disposed onan opposing side of the longitudinal midline of the housing relative tothe second pulley, and both of the first pulley and the second pulleyare disposed adjacent a first end of the housing.

Clause 14: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the housing hasa first planar exterior surface and an opposing second planar exteriorsurface, a maximum thickness between the first planar exterior surfaceand the second planar exterior surface being within the range of 0.6 cmto 1.2 cm.

Clause 15: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the housing isbilaterally symmetrical.

Clause 16: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the housing isshaped as a rounded rectangle.

Clause 17: The article of footwear of Clause 16, further comprising anaperture located at each respective corner of the housing.

Clause 18: The article of footwear of Clause 17, wherein a portion ofthe cable extends through each aperture located at each respectivecorner of the housing.

Clause 19: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the housing isrigid.

Clause 20: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the housingfurther comprises one or more apertures located adjacent a peripheraledge of the housing and configured to receive insertion therethrough ofa fastener.

Clause 21: The article of footwear of Clause 20, wherein the fastener isone or more selected from the group consisting of a thread, a filament,a strap, a rivet, a bolt, a screw, a hook, and a rod.

Clause 22: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the cablechanges direction as it extends around a portion of the first pulley andextends through an aperture in the housing, and wherein the change indirection is greater than 35 degrees and less than 120 degrees.

Clause 23: The article of footwear of Clause 1, further comprising ashaft extending from an inner surface of the housing, the first pulleybeing mounted on and rotatable about the shaft.

Clause 24: The article of footwear of Clause 1, wherein the cable, whenunder tension, extends from the first pulley at a tangent to the outercircumferential portion of the first pulley and through an aperture inthe housing.

Clause 25: An article of footwear comprising an upper defining aninterior void, a cable movable in a tightening direction to move theupper into a tightened state and movable in a loosening direction tomove the upper into a loosened state, and a cable lock including ahousing and operable in a locked state to restrict movement of the cablein the loosening direction and operable in an unlocked state to permitmovement of the cable in the loosening direction, the cable lockincluding a first pulley and a second pulley that receive differentportions of the cable and are operable to rotate relative to the housingwhen the cable is translated relative to and within the housing.

Clause 26: The article of footwear of Clause 25, wherein the cableincludes a control portion operable to be moved away from the upper in afirst direction to move the cable in the tightening direction.

Clause 27: The article of footwear of Clause 26, wherein the cable lockis disposed remotely from the control portion.

Clause 28: The article of footwear of Clause 25, wherein the firstpulley and the second pulley are configured to provide an incrementalfeedback corresponding with movement of the cable by a first distance inthe tightening direction.

Clause 29: The article of footwear of Clause 25, wherein at least one ofthe first pulley and the second pulley includes a plurality ofprotrusions extending from a rotational axis of the at least one of thefirst pulley and the second pulley, the protrusions defining openingsdisposed between adjacent protrusions of the plurality of protrusions.

Clause 30: The article of footwear of Clause 29, wherein the at leastone of the first pulley and the second pulley defines a groove extendingaround an outer circumference of the at least one of the first pulleyand the second pulley, the groove operable to receive the cable therein.

Clause 31: The article of footwear of Clause 29, further comprising aprong having a first end operable to be intermittently engaged by theplurality of protrusions when the cable is moved in the tighteningdirection.

Clause 32: The article of footwear of Clause 31, wherein the prongincludes a second end attached to the housing, the first end movingrelative to the second end when the cable is moved in the tighteningdirection.

Clause 33: The article of footwear of Clause 32, wherein the prong isintegrally formed with the housing.

Clause 34: The article of footwear of Clause 25, wherein the firstpulley and the second pulley are operable to provide at least one ofaudible feedback and tactile feedback when the cable is translatedrelative to and within the housing in the tightening direction.

Clause 35: A cable lock for a cable, the cable lock comprising a housingincluding a first end and a second end disposed on an opposite end ofthe housing than the first end, a first pulley rotatably supported bythe housing and disposed proximate to one of the first end and thesecond end, the first pulley operable to freely rotate in response tomovement of the cable through the housing and along an outercircumferential portion of the first pulley, a second pulley rotatablysupported by the housing and disposed proximate to the one of the firstend and the second end, the second pulley operable to freely rotate inresponse to movement of the cable through the housing and along an outercircumferential portion of the second pulley, and a lock member slidablydisposed within the housing and movable between a locked state operableto restrict movement of the cable in a first direction relative to thehousing and an unlocked state operable to permit movement of the cablein the first direction relative to the housing, the lock member beingdisposed closer to the other of the first end and the second end of thehousing than the first pulley and the second pulley.

Clause 36: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the first pulley and thesecond pulley each includes a plurality of protrusions extending from arotational axis of the first pulley and the second pulley, theprotrusions defining openings disposed between adjacent protrusions ofthe plurality of protrusions.

Clause 37: The cable lock of Clause 36, wherein the first pulley definesa first groove extending around an outer circumference of the firstpulley and the second pulley defines a second groove extending around anouter circumference of the second pulley, the first groove and thesecond groove operable to receive the cable therein.

Clause 38: The cable lock of Clause 37, wherein the first groove isdefined between corresponding protrusions at each of a first side and anopposing second side of the first pulley and the second groove isdefined between corresponding protrusions at each of a first side and anopposing second side of the second pulley.

Clause 39: The cable lock of Clause 36, further comprising a first prongcoupled with the housing and having a first end operable to beintermittently engaged by the plurality of protrusions when the firstpulley rotates a second prong coupled with the housing and having afirst end operable to be intermittently engaged by the plurality ofprotrusions when the second pulley rotates.

Clause 40: The cable lock of Clause 39, wherein the first prong and thesecond prong each includes a second end attached to the housing, thefirst end moving relative to the second end when the first pulley andthe second pulley rotate.

Clause 41: The cable lock of Clause 40, wherein the first prong and thesecond prong are integrally formed with the housing.

Clause 42: The cable lock of Clause 40, wherein the first prong and thesecond prong each has a first length extending between the second endand the first end, the first prong and the second prong being flattenedalong a portion of the first length.

Clause 43: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the first pulley and thesecond pulley are operable to provide at least one of audible feedbackand tactile feedback when the cable is translated relative to and withinthe housing, the second pulley engaging a different portion of the cablethan the first pulley.

Clause 44: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein a biasing spring extendsbetween the first pulley and the second pulley, a first end of thebiasing spring being coupled with the housing and a second end of thebiasing spring being coupled with a lock member.

Clause 45: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the housing is elongateand has a longitudinal midline and the first pulley is disposed on anopposing side of the longitudinal midline of the housing relative to thesecond pulley.

Clause 46: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the housing has a firstplanar exterior surface and an opposing second planar exterior surface,a maximum thickness between the first planar exterior surface and thesecond planar exterior surface being within the range of 0.6 cm to 1.2cm.

Clause 47: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the housing isbilaterally symmetrical.

Clause 48: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the housing is shaped asa rounded rectangle.

Clause 49: The cable lock of Clause 48, further comprising an aperturelocated at each respective corner of the housing.

Clause 50: The cable lock of Clause 49, wherein a portion of the cableextends through each aperture located at each respective corner of thehousing.

Clause 51: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the housing is rigid.

Clause 52: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the housing furthercomprises one or more apertures located adjacent a peripheral edge ofthe housing and configured to receive insertion therethrough of afastener.

Clause 53: The cable lock of Clause 52, wherein the fastener is one ormore selected from the group consisting of a thread, a filament, astrap, a rivet, a bolt, a screw, a hook, and a rod.

Clause 54: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the cable changesdirection as it extends around a portion of the first pulley and extendsthrough a first aperture in the housing and changes direction as itextends around a portion of the second pulley and extends through asecond aperture in the housing, and wherein the change in direction isgreater than 35 degrees and less than 120 degrees.

Clause 55: The cable lock of Clause 35, further comprising a first shaftextending from an inner surface of the housing and a second shaftextending from the inner surface of the housing, the first pulley beingmounted on and rotatable about the first shaft and the second pulleybeing mounted on and rotatable about the second shaft.

Clause 56: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the cable, when undertension, extends from the first pulley at a tangent to the outercircumferential portion of the first pulley and through a first aperturein the housing and extends from the second pulley at a tangent to theouter circumferential portion of the second pulley and through a secondaperture in the housing.

Clause 57: The cable lock of Clause 35, wherein the lock member includesa first lock surface and a second lock surface that converge toward oneanother, the first lock surface operable to pinch a first portion of thecable between a first engagement surface of the housing and the firstlock surface in the locked state and the second lock surface operable topinch a second portion of the cable between a second engagement surfaceof the housing and the second lock surface in the locked state torestrict movement of the cable in the first direction relative to thehousing.

The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustrationand description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit thedisclosure. Individual elements or features of a particularconfiguration are generally not limited to that particularconfiguration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can beused in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown ordescribed. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations arenot to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of footwear comprising: an upperdefining an interior void; a cable movable in a tightening direction tomove the upper into a tightened state and movable in a looseningdirection to move the upper into a loosened state; and a cable lockcoupled with the article of footwear and including a housing andoperable in a locked state to restrict movement of the cable in theloosening direction and operable in an unlocked state to permit movementof the cable in the loosening direction, the cable lock including afirst pulley disposed within the housing and positioned to freely rotatein response to movement of the cable through the housing and along anouter circumferential portion of the first pulley, the first pulleyincluding a plurality of protrusion extending from a rotational axis ofthe first pulley and defining openings disposed between adjacentprotrusions of the plurality of protrusions.
 2. The article of footwearof claim 1, wherein the cable includes a control portion operable to bemoved away from the upper in a first direction to move the cable in thetightening direction.
 3. The article of footwear of claim 2, wherein thecable lock is disposed remotely from the control portion.
 4. The articleof footwear of claim 1, wherein the first pulley defines a grooveextending around an outer circumference of the first pulley, the grooveoperable to receive the cable therein.
 5. The article of footwear ofclaim 4, wherein the groove is defined between corresponding protrusionsat each of a first side and an opposing second side of the first pulley.6. The article of footwear of claim 1, further comprising a prongcoupled with the housing and having a first end operable to beintermittently engaged by the plurality of protrusions when the firstpulley rotates.
 7. The article of footwear of claim 6, wherein the prongincludes a second end attached to the housing, the first end movingrelative to the second end when the first pulley rotates.
 8. The articleof footwear of claim 7, wherein the prong is integrally formed with thehousing.
 9. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein the prong has afirst length extending between the second end and the first end, theprong being flattened along a portion of the first length.
 10. Thearticle of footwear of claim 1, wherein the cable lock includes a secondpulley operable to provide at least one of audible feedback and tactilefeedback when the cable is translated relative to and within the housingin the tightening direction, the second pulley engaging a differentportion of the cable than the first pulley.
 11. An article of footwearcomprising: an upper defining an interior void; a cable movable in atightening direction to move the upper into a tightened state andmovable in a loosening direction to move the upper into a loosenedstate; and a cable lock including a housing and operable in a lockedstate to restrict movement of the cable in the loosening direction andoperable in an unlocked state to permit movement of the cable in theloosening direction, the cable lock including a first pulley and asecond pulley that receive different portions of the cable and areoperable to rotate relative to the housing when the cable is translatedrelative to and within the housing, at least one of the first pulley andthe second pulley including a plurality of protrusions extending from arotational axis of the at least one of the first pulley and the secondpulley, the plurality of protrusions defining openings disposed betweenadjacent protrusions of the plurality of protrusions.
 12. The article offootwear of claim 11, wherein the cable includes a control portionoperable to be moved away from the upper in a first direction to movethe cable in the tightening direction.
 13. The article of footwear ofclaim 12, wherein the cable lock is disposed remotely from the controlportion.
 14. The article of footwear of claim 11, wherein the firstpulley and the second pulley are configured to provide an incrementalfeedback corresponding with movement of the cable by a first distance inthe tightening direction.
 15. The article of footwear of claim 11,wherein the at least one of the first pulley and the second pulleydefines a groove extending around an outer circumference of the at leastone of the first pulley and the second pulley, the groove operable toreceive the cable therein.
 16. The article of footwear of claim 11,further comprising a prong having a first end operable to beintermittently engaged by the plurality of protrusions when the cable ismoved in the tightening direction.
 17. The article of footwear of claim16, wherein the prong includes a second end attached to the housing, thefirst end moving relative to the second end when the cable is moved inthe tightening direction.
 18. The article of footwear of claim 17,wherein the prong is integrally formed with the housing.
 19. The articleof footwear of claim 11, wherein the first pulley and the second pulleyare operable to provide at least one of audible feedback and tactilefeedback when the cable is translated relative to and within the housingin the tightening direction.